Freeman Awarded Citizenship Award

September 26, 2025

 

 

September is Suicide Prevention Month.  For Suicide Prevention Month, Coffey County Dispatchers brought the Little Hearts initiative to Coffey County.  Dispatch Supervisor Tammy Sherwood says, "it was started with the intent of spreading hope and love to people."  Dispatchers have been making little hearts on strings with a positive message and 9-8-8 Hotline information attached.  The hearts are placed throughout the community for people to find as a random act of kindness and to reduce the stigma about mental health in struggling individuals.  

 

One standard afternoon, Oakleigh Freeman was dropped off by the school bus at the Coffey County Courthouse when she saw some little hearts made by Coffey County Dispatchers laid out on a table near the court security desk in the courthouse lobby.   She asked Coffey County Sheriff Deputy Craig Lawson what the hearts were.  After explaining it, Oakleigh asked if she could make some too.  Deputy Lawson told her she could if she wanted to but really didn't think much of it.  Little did he know, that evening Oakleigh would ask her parents to go to the store to buy the supplies she needed to make the little hearts.  She has since made over a dozen little hearts for the cause and presented more to SRO Trey Bland to be dispersed throughout our community.  Deputy Lawson said, "With everything going on in the country, I thought it was good to see something nice for a change... at her age and doing this without being told...  I thought that was really good and she should be rewarded for it."  

 

Friday, September 26th Oakleigh got off of the school bus and was greeted by Coffey County Sheriff's Office staff in the Law Enforcement Center lobby.  Sheriff Thomas L. Johnson presented Oakleigh with a Citizenship Award, "in recognition of exemplary leadership, initiative and commitment to your community during Suicide Prevention Week and the Little Hearts Program."  She was also gifted a little heart necklace from Coffey County dispatchers. 

One act of kindness can change someone's entire day, and we applaud Oakleigh for her efforts in spreading kindness, hope, and love throughout the Coffey County community.  Great job, Oakleigh!